Metrorail staff thwart attempted #TrainArson attack

Minister of Transport Dr Blade Nzimande conducted a walk-about at the Paarden Eiland Depot in Cape Town to view damages to the PRASA infrastructure. Picture: Armand Hough/African News Agency (ANA)

Minister of Transport Dr Blade Nzimande conducted a walk-about at the Paarden Eiland Depot in Cape Town to view damages to the PRASA infrastructure. Picture: Armand Hough/African News Agency (ANA)

Published Jul 31, 2018

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Cape Town - Metrorail staffers managed to stop an attempted arson attack in its tracks on Tuesday. 

In what could have been the third devastating incident in a week, someone set fire to a seat in a carriage of a stationary train at Cape Town Central station on Tuesday. 

It's believed the attack took place at platform 11, two platforms down from platform 13 when carriages were gutted by fire on Saturday.

"One carriage seat was set alight, and was soon extinguished by Metrorail staff," the City's Fire and Rescue spokesperson Theo Layne said. 

"City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue did not respond."

Platforms 12 and 13 remained closed for repairs this week.

Just a day prior to Saturday's attack, Transport Minister Blade Nzimande led a high-level delegation to the Prasa depot in Paarden Eiland following the spate of recent arson incidents.

Until Tuesday morning, there had been at least seven attacks in six weeks, resulting in damage worth hundreds of millions of rand. 

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